Nigeria is 33rd most corrupt country – Transparency Int’l

By Uduma Kalu

Nigeria has been ranked 33rd most corrupt coun-try in the world, according to the latest report by German-based Transparency International, TI.

In the group’s Corruption Perceptions Index 2013, Nigeria ranked 144th, out of 177 nations in the world, scoring 25 points out of a possible 100 points.

With a score of 63 points, Botswana, the southern African nation, is rated the cleanest African country. It is the 30th in the world. Ghana with 46 points emerged 63rd in the world.

The most corrupt nation in the world is war-torn Somalia, scoring eight points alongside North Korea and crisis-ridden Afghanistan, also with eight points.

While the most corrupt section is dominated by Africans countries, Europe and a handful of Asian countries are the cleanest.

According to the report, Denmark and New Zealand are the cleanest countries in the world, sharing the first spot in the index, with scores of 91.

Finland, Sweden, Norway, Singapore, Switzerland, Netherlands, Australia and Canada emerged in the top 10 of least corrupt nations in the world.

Nigeria’s corruption performance this year was worse than last year’s, when it scored 27 points.

This year, Nigeria shared the podium of infamy with crisis-torn Central African Republic and neighbour, Cameroon.

In 2007, TI ranked Nigeria 33rd most corrupt, having scored the country 147th out of the 180 countries it surve-yed for corruption. It was five steps below that of 2006.

The report said: “From children denied an education, to elections decided by money not votes, public sector corruption comes in many forms.

“Bribes and backroom deals don’t just steal resources from the most vulnerable— they undermine justice and economic development, and destroy public trust in leaders.

“But while the results of corruption are clear, the real extent of the problem is harder to pin down. Corruption is shadowy and secretive by nature.

“We all know corruption is a problem, but how bad is it, and what can be done?

“The need for greater accountability is clear, and leaders cannot look the other way. But recognising the problem is only the first step – governments need to turn pledges into actions.”

RANK  COUNTRY

1     Denmark

1     New Zealand

3     Finland

3     Sweden

5     Norway

5     Singapore

7     Switzerland

144     Nigeria

144     Papua New Guinea

144     Ukraine

150     Guinea

150     Kyrgyzstan

150     Paraguay

153     Angola

154     Congo

154     Congo, DR

154     Tajikistan

157     Burundi

157     Myanmar

157     Zimbabwe

160     Cambodia

160     Eritrea

160     Venezuela

163     Chad

163     Equatorial Guinea

163     Guinea Bissau

163     Haiti

167     Yemen

168     Syria

168     Turkmenistan

168     Uzbekistan

171     Iraq

172     Libya

173     South Sudan

174     Sudan

175     Afghanistan

175     North Korea

175    Somalia